Journal wiping means



Feb. 8, 1938. J, J HENNESSY I 2,107,413

- JOURNAL WIPING MEANS Filed Feb. 19, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 2 1 1 I INI/E/VTOE M49765 d/fennesq Patented Feb. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFiCE 12 Claims.

This invention relates to means for recovering excess lubricant supplied to journals, and particularly railway locomotive driving journals, much of which lubricant Would otherwise escape endwise of the journal and be centrifugally thrown off outside the journal box and lost.

In order to insure satisfactory lubrication of railway vehicle journals which support heavy loads, it is desirable to supply ample quantities of lubricant to the journal at all times. Oil in sufiicient quantities may be supplied to the bearing from above the journal by means of conduits leading through the crown bearing or from a reservoir carried in the lower part of the journal box by means of a suitable pumping device such as that illustrated in co-pending application Serial No. 558,719, filed April 22, 1931 in the name of the present inventor.

Where the lubricant is pumped from a reservoir within the box itself, the pump may be adjusted to constantly maintain a pool of oil at the surface of the journal providing so-called bath lubrication.

However, much of the oil supplied tothe journal in such quantities is squeezed endwise beyond the bearing brass and, in the absence of suitable recapturing means, is thrownoff and lost. The oil recapturing devices heretofore in use generally have not been efficient enough to prevent excessive oil losses where lubricant is constantly supplied to the journal by gravity or where bath lubrication is provided and, accordingly, such lubrication, though desirable from a mechanical standpoint, has not been considered practical.

It therefore becomes necessary to provide better means for recapturing lubricant than have heretofore been devised in order to permit the furnishing of relatively large quantities of oil to railway journals without substantial waste. Moreover, with the use of efiicient oil recapturing means a relatively simple inexpensive pump may be provided, or oil may be supplied conveniently and simply to the bearing by gravity from an overhead reservoir.

The main object of the present invention is to provide efiicient means for recapturing oil escaping beyond the ends of the bearings of railway vehicle lubricated journals.

A more detailed object is to provide novel means for recovering oil thrown off from the journal outside the journal box cellar and returning the same to a cellar within. the box.

Another object is to provide an oil wiper for vehicle journals which may readily adjust itself to the position and contour of the journal and cent driver.

which may be easily replaced when Worn or damaged.

These objects and others are attained substantially by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawings in whicha Figure 1 is a vertical section through a locomotive driving box lubricator assembly and taken substantially along the axis of the journal.

Figure 2 is an end View of the assembly, portions being broken away and shown in section substantially on the linev 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective View of one of the wiping devices, a portion being broken away.

Figure 4 is a transverse section through the center of the structure in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section through a device somewhat similar to that in Figures 3 and 4 but modified as to a detail.

Figure 6 is a top view of another form of journal wipen' I 1 Figure 7 is an end View of the device in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a side view of the same.

In Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the invention is shown applied to a locomotive driving box having the usual heavy side walls i for engagement with the underfran'le pedestal (not shown) and receiving the crown bearing brass 2, the ends of which are undercut as at 3. Located in the lower portion of the driving box is a lubricant cellar 4 which is downwardly enlarged in its inner 3 portion to form a lubricant reservoir 5. Within this reservoir is the body portion 6 of a lubricant pump which is actuated by the contact rod 1 extending through a tubular housing 8 within the cellar and engaging, the hub 9 of the adja* It will be understood that lateral play of the driver and journal relative to the driving box will cause lubricant in reservoir 5 to be pumped through the screen l0, body 6, tubular housing 8,;transverse passage i I, and upright deliveryrmember I 2 to the cup l3 where, during operation of the pump, a pool of oil is maintained in contact with or adjacent to the surface of the journal. Ball checks I4 and i5 are provided to trap the lubricant in cup l3. V Maintained adjacent the journal by means of strips I8 which may be of wood. At the. ends of the lubricant cellar are baflle plates 19 and 29 for preventing the splashing out of lubricant overv the top edges of the cellar end walls ;2l and 2 surface of the wiper. ,vious formthe wiping rib is yieldingly and ad- 22 which are slightly spaced from shown at 23 in Figure 2.

The details of the driving box, pump, and oil distributor shown do not in themselves constitute the present invention. The pump is more clearly described in the above-mentioned copending application Serial No. 558,719.

In order to prevent lubricant from escaping over the side walls 24 of the cellar, these walls extend into grooves 25 formed in the side portions I of the driving box immediately beneath the side edges of the bearingbrass 2. This feature is covered in co-pending application Serial No. 728,894 filed June 4, 1934 by the present inventor. At the inner end of the box is provided a closure member 26 surrounding the journal and including a portion 28 forming a cover for the reservoir 5. Closure member 26 includes a felt strip 21 with its inner edge bent over as at 29 and snugly engaging the journal to prevent the loss of lubricant through this portion of the box.

It has been observed that lubricant squeezed out from under the bearing tends to form in a ring adjacent the end thereof and is centrifugally the journal as thrown oil from the journal in the form of drops.

In order to bring this oil ring within the end wall 22 of the cellar, the brass is undercut as at 3. However, due to the lateral play of the journal, some of the accumulated drops will be thrown outside the cellar wall. In order to recover the oil thrown off the journal outside the cellar and which would be otherwise lost, a series of cooperating wiping and collecting devices A, B and C are provided for wiping the journal, and particularly the portion thereof outside the cellar outer wall 22, and'returning the recovered lubricant to the cellar;

The wiper A, Figures 3 and 4, comprises an elongated box-shaped housing 30, which extends through and is rigidly secured to the end wall 22 of the lubricant cellar. The top wall of the housing is longitudinally slotted to receive the journal wiping rib 3|. The rib 3| is enlarged in its lower portionto form shoulders 32 for seating against the slotted top wall of the housing 30. At the bottom of the housing is a cuplike depression 33 seating the spring pressed plunger 34 for urging the rib wiper 3| towards the journal. Preferably the ends of the enlarged lower portion of the ribbed wiper are rounded as at 35 to facilitate insertion thereof past the plunger 34, this plunger in the assembled device seating in a depression 36 to yieldingly resist withdrawal of the wiper. Preferably the rib 3| engages the journal along line inclined to the horizontal, as indicated in Figure 2, so that the recaptured lubricant will be drained along the upper surface of the rib into the cellar.

r In Figure 5 is shown a ribbedwiper device 31 mounted in housing 38 similar to that in Figures 3 and 4, but the wiper is urged towards the journal by means of a bent flat spring 39 normally seating in a depression 40 in the under- In this as well as the prejustably maintained in contact with the journal. The wiping device B,.detailed inFigures 6, '7 and 8,. comprises a body portion including ribs 4I with upper journal engaging surfaces inclined inwardly and downwardly. Lubricant recovered ,by ribs 4| is collected in inclined troughs 42 and the space between the ribs and drained by gravity to the transverse outlet trough 43 which is inclined downwardly from the center towards each side. At the inner end of the body portion is a curved arm 44 arranged to seat against and extending partially around the surface of' the journal. This arm serves as a stabilizer for the wiper.

Seated in a hemispherical bearing 45 in the undersurface of the wiper body is a pin 46 (Figure 2) extending through aperforation in the splash plate 20 and urged upwardly by a coiled spring 4'! seated against a washer 48 held against movement along the pin by means of a cotter key 49. A spacer bushing 50 surrounds the pin 46 and has slots 5| for accommodating the cotter 49. The wiper body is thus yieldingly and adjustably maintained in contact with the journal.

At the sides of the wiper B are upright bolts 52 seated on the bottom of the cellar and extending through the splash plate 20 and terminating in close proximity to the journal. These bolts serve to relieve the wiper mechanism of excessive vertical loads in case the driving box is jacked up as for renewing the bearing brass.

The wipers A are located closer tothe side edges of the bearing than the wiper B and, accordingly, these need not extend quite as far beyond the end wall of the cellar as the latter in order to recover oil moved away from the end of the hearing by longitudinal play of the journal. However, it is desirable that all of the wipers extend beyond the end of the endof the bearing.

There will be a tendency of lubricant to travel longitudinally within the grooves 25 in the sides edges buttwelded to the end wall of the cellar and underlying the end of the depending lip of the box groove 25. Collected lubricant is drained through the hole 53 in the cellar wall. The collecting devices C are illustrated and claimed in the above-mentioned co-pending application Serial No. 728,894.

With the use of the oil recovering devices herein described, substantially all the lubricant escaping beyond the end of the bearing is recovered, only just enough being allowed to escape to properly lubricate the hub face and box hub liner. Each of the wipers is yieldingly mounted on the end of the cellar and arranged to collect lubricant on the journal and return the same into the cellar by gravity. With the use of these recovery devices bath lubrication of r come within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated. V I

I claim:

1. Railway. journal lubricant wiping means applicable to the end portion of a journal box cellar member to underlie the journal on both sides of an end wall of the cellar and including a rib element disposed to engage the journal along a line extending longitudinally thereof and having an 165 and exclusive use of all such modifications as inclined recessed passage for conducting the recovered lubricant along said element.

2. In a railway journal lubricating cellar, an end wall shaped to clear the journal, a housing carried by and extending through said wall and having a slotted top portion, an elongated member in said housing and having a journal wiping rib extending through said top portion, and spring means in said housing for urging said rib towards the journal.

3. Structure as defined in claim 2 in which said ribbed member is renewable, and provided with a hollow in its undersurface for seating said spring means to yieldingly maintain the same properly assembled with said housing.

4. In combination, a railway journal lubricating cellar having an end wall shaped to clear the journal, and a journal wiper comprising a body portion mounted in said cellar and extending through said wall and having a rib for wiping lubricant from the journal and an inclined trough for conducting the recovered lubricant from outside said wall into said cellar.

5. Structure as defined in claim 4 in which said body portion is adjustably and yieldingly carried in said cellar so as to conform with the journal.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a railway journal lubricant wiper unit comprising a body portion arranged to be applied to and removed from and tobe supported by a lubricant cellar wall adjacent the journal and having a wiping edge for engaging the journal, and a curved arm arranged to seat against and extend partially around the journal transversely of the length of said edge for positioning said edge.

"I. In combination, a railway journal lubricant cellar having an end Wall and a transverse flange projecting inwardly thereof, and a journal wiper comprising a body portion with an element for engaging the journal and structure supporting said body portion from the floor of said cellar and extending through and stabilized by said flange.

8. Structure as defined in claim 7 in which said flange constitutes a splash plate for preventing loss of lubricant over said end wall and said wiper is yieldingly supported substantially above the cellar floor. I

9. The combination. of elements specified in claim 7 in which said supporting structure is arranged to yieldingly support said wiper body portion.

10. In a railway journal lubricator, a cellar having a transverse end wallwith a top contour for fitting around the journal, there being an opening in said wall, a member extending through said opening and projecting inwardly and outwardly of said wall and seated on an upwardly facing portion of said wall forming the lower edge of said opening, and a separate wiper element extending upwardly from said member for engagement with a journal to which the lubricator is applied.

11. A structure as described in claim 10 in which the wiper element is yieldingly supported in the member extending through the journal Wall.

12. As a new article of manufacture, a railway journal lubricant wiper device comprising a body having an elongated downwardly facing recess disposed to fit over the wall of a lubricant cellar, there being elongated upwardly facing curved wings extending in the same general direction of said recess to engage a journal, and an upwardly facing ridge of restricted width extending downwardly toward said wings for wiping surplus lubricant from the journal, there being a trough adjacent said wings for draining lubricant gathered by the wiper downwardly and inwardly of the cellar to which it is applied.

JAMES J. HENNESSY. 

